Soft and Sweet
by Caytlyn Rose
Summary: Drabbles originally written for the Romance Drabble challenge
1. Star Gazing

SM Romance Drabble Challenge

#1 star gazing

Patience

She sits at the window of her room, her hair blowing around her. A few strands fly across her eyes and she gently flicks them away with long, supple fingers. Her eyes are fixed on the heavens, waiting, waiting.

Street lights flicker on, the wind grows cooler. She holds her breath. There – one, two, three dim points of light slowly become brighter in the darkening skies.

"I wish….."


	2. Love Letters

#2 love letters

_100 Words_

**Indecision**

Pacing nervously around the room, she runs her fingers through her hair over and over again. She stares at an envelope, eyes wide, vacant, remembering.

_"Ami, can I borrow your computer?"_

___"No, you cannot borrow the Mercury computer!"_

___"Not that one! I want to borrow your desktop one …"_

___"Why?"_

___"Ineedtotypealetter."_

___"What?"_

___"I need to type a letter."_

___"Why not handwrite it?"_

___"Because then he'll know who wrote it!"_

___"He? Are you writing a love letter?"_

___"No!"_

___"Sure?"_

___"Well, maybe…..don't tell the others?"_

__"How can this be so hard?" she whispers softly, touching the envelope. Visibly coming to a decision, she picks it up and heads downstairs and out into the night.


	3. Moonlight Walks

**__****Reluctance**

****Pools of deepest, darkest black ripple in the cold wind. The low hum of traffic provides a constant background noise, but everything else is silent. A small figure plods heavily through the night, something white clutched in its hand.

As the figure emerges from the shadows, a stray moonbeam picks out a length of silver hair.

The figure pauses outside an apartment building, looks up and sighs. The moonbeam thickens, appearing to caress the figure. In the growing moonlight a feminine shape is revealed.

She looks up to a particular balcony, then back down to the post boxes in front of her. She reaches out uncertainly and hesitates before placing the white object in the box. Turning away, she is momentarily illuminated by the moonlight. Soft blue eyes search the shadows for danger as she walks away.

Moonlight cascades around her as the moon emerges from behind clouds. Her footsteps grow lighter, until she is skipping, homeward bound, in the silver light.


	4. Secret Admirer

**The Letter**

****It sits on the hallway table, waiting for the owner to pick it up. A crisp white envelope with a neatly typewritten address on the front and no return address on the back. No stamp, it has been hand delivered.

_Dearest_

___You probably get hundreds of these every day, let alone every February. And they all probably say the same thing._

___This one is slightly different._

___This one is an invitation._

___On 13th February I will be sitting on a red and white checked blanket in the rose gardens, waiting for you. _

___I hope to see you there._

___Yours forever._


	5. Private Picnics

**_Risk_******

****People come from all over at this time of the year, just to sit in the rose gardens and admire the view. Or just to sit and watch others walk by, as the sun shines warmly.

A gentle breeze sets the roses to dancing and wafts the scent to passing noses.

A red and white checked blanket is set out in a private niche of the gardens. Its occupant scans the faces of people passing anxiously, looking for one special person.

A hand reaches for the picnic basket and absentmindedly pulls out a cookie to munch on – apparently waiting is hard work and requires regular energy replenishment.

Suddenly the hand stills and a look of intense concentration appears on the face. A tall figure walks past, by the movements of his head, he is looking for something or someone. He hesitates a moment and looks towards the figure on the blanket, then shakes his head and continues on.

The hand holding the cookie sinks back to the basket. Soft blue eyes fill with tears as he walks past.

As the sun sets she begins to pack up her picnic, slowly, dejectedly. She folds the blanket and is about to set it in the basket when she hears voices.

"I'm telling you, the letter said to be here! I don't understand!"

"But didn't you say that you saw someone sitting on a blanket matching the description you were given?"

"Yes, but surely it wasn't her! She hates me!"

"Are you sure?"

The voices continue on along the path. In the resulting silence, a tear drips down a soft cheek.

"But I don't hate you" she whispers.

"Really?"

She looks up, startled. A tall figure is silhouetted against the setting sun. He gestures to the blanket.

"It's not the end of the day yet – are you giving up so soon?"

She shakes her head and lays the blanket back out on the ground. She slumps dejectedly and waits for the teasing she is sure will follow.

A weight settles next to her on the blanket.


	6. Cloud Nine

**_Picnic _******

She lies back on the blanket, watching the glow of evening fade into twilight. He lies on one side, watching her thoughts flit across her face.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I love this time of night, particularly when the moon is rising early. Moonlight is just so comfortable, isn't it? I mean, sunlight is warm, but it's also harsh, it shows everything. Moonlight is more mysterious, it leaves things in shadow."

Silence falls for a while.

"I think you're right."

"You think?"

"I might need to think about it some more. I mean, to me, moonlight has always been cold and unreachable, aloof."

Puzzlement flits across her face.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"Aloof."

"Oh, ummm…distanced."

"Oh."

They fall silent again, the only noises being the far off sounds of the city and the closer susurrations of the wind through grass and trees, whispering around the pair.  
Eventually it gets colder, a chill settles with the dew falling. Reluctantly the couple pack up the picnic and stand, ready to leave.

"Thankyou for taking a chance on the letter. This was nice."

"It was better than nice. Can we get together again sometime?"

"Sure! How about at the Crown some night this week!"

"Sounds great. Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight"

He strides off into the gathering darkness. She watches until he is out of sight, then picks up the substantially lighter picnic basket and skips into the night, practically floating in joy. The moonlight silvers her hair and eyes and dances around her as she leaves.


	7. Trapped Together

**Games **

****He stands in the doorway and watches the golden-haired beauty as she pounds and yells at an arcade game. Of course she is playing the Sailor Moon game and appears to be very good at it.

"Woohoo! Next level!" she yells, flexing her hands in readiness. He moves around so that he is at the other set of controls and slips his money into the slot. She only notices him when his Tuxedo Mask figure appears on the screen.

"Took you long enough," she says as the level starts. "You were standing over by the door for ages."

"I was enjoying the view," he replies. Silence falls as the two concentrate on the game. Neither notices when a small crowd forms around them, eerily silent as people try not to disturb the couple who are reaching the highest ever levels in the game.

In a flash of light the two characters are annihilated at the same time. A disappointed sound arises from the crowd around the game. The two players sigh deeply as one and enter their initials in the high score table. They turn and look somewhat startled by the crowd of people hemming them in.

Slowly a path opens and the couple wander over to one of the booths, where they sit silently for a while. Almost unnoticed, her small hand creeps into his big one, as a conversation about the game starts.

Over in the corner the game flashes the high scores: 1st SM, 2nd TM.


	8. First Kiss

He watches her as she laughs with her friends, her eyes sparkling with joy. She still has her hand in his, lightly gripping with her slender fingers. She has never seemed so beautiful, rays of sun streaming though the arcade windows make her glorious hair even more radiant.

He watches her as she laughs with her friends, her eyes sparkling with joy. She still has her hand in his, lightly gripping with her slender fingers. She has never seemed so beautiful, rays of sun streaming though the arcade windows make her glorious hair even more radiant.

"Usagi?" he says, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes?'

"I…um….I…just wanted to tell you….um…you're really really gorgeous." A pink tinge creeps up his neck and into his face as she looks at him blankly. The other girls have stopped their chatter and are watching curiously, trying not to interrupt the moment.

"Um…thanks!" She says eventually, clearly unsure if he is serious. Suddenly she jumps up as if stung.

"Oh no! Look at the time! I'm gonna be soooo late again!" She hurriedly bends down to kiss him on the cheek, just as he turns his head. Lips touch and the couple freeze for a second, then move a little closer. The kiss is held for another second, before she straightens and hurries out of the arcade.

He stares after her, not really seeing, as one hand slowly raises to his lips, where he can still feel hers.

"Hey! Earth to Mamoru!" a voice rudely interrupts him.

"What?"

"You hurt her and we will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life!"

He looks at the girls surrounding him, then back at the door.

"I will never ever hurt her….."


	9. Stolen Kiss

"Mamoru, give it back!" She dances around him, frantically reaching for the object he has in his hand above his head. She stops for a second, then jumps as high as she can – which is surprisingly high for such a small person – and clamps both hands around his forearm, in an apparently futile effort to bring his arm down.

"Mamoru, give it back!" She dances around him, frantically reaching for the object he has in his hand above his head. She stops for a second, then jumps as high as she can – which is surprisingly high for such a small person – and clamps both hands around his forearm, in an apparently futile effort to bring his arm down.

Mamoru laughs and slowly begins to lower his arm, then, in a lightning movement, wraps it around her, effectively pinning her to his chest. He lowers his head until their foreheads are just touching.

Usagi stills, her blue eyes showing just a little hesitation and a lot of invitation. She tilts her head just slightly and suddenly pushes upwards on her toes, so that her lips are meeting his.

Surprised, his grip on the object slackens just enough so that she can get it free from his hand. In one swift movement she grabs the item, slips out of his arms and runs to put a table between them.

She unwraps the object and pops it in her mouth, her eyes closing and an expression of bliss crossing her face.

"Well, Odango," he says, "If that's the reaction I'm going to get every time, I'm going to steal your Hershey's Kisses more often."

Her eyes open and she fixes him with a steely glare. "Over your dead body." She flounces out of the Arcade, shooting him a smile as she goes though the door.

"Man, Mamoru, you sure know how to take your life in your hands." Motoki leans over the counter to inspect his friend's coffee.

"What do you mean?"

"Even Raye won't fight Usagi for chocolate kisses."


	10. Shared Secret

"So, when are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know, should I?"

"Definitely! It'd be sooo embarrassing for him!"

Mamoru looks up from his coffee at the sound of the whispers and stifled giggles behind him. He looks around for the source and notices two girls huddled together in a booth.

"Oh, he's soooo cute!"

"Well, tell him!"

The bell on the door of the Arcade jingles and Usagi rushes in. Her hair is messed and her cheeks are flushed pink from running. She darts a look around the arcade, her eyes light up and she rushes to a booth, where she picks up her purse.

"I KNEW it had to be here! And now I'm even MORE late!" She rushes over to Mamoru and bends close to his ear. He stills, anticipating – what?

"Mamoru, you have a piece of toilet paper sticking out of the back of your trousers," she whispers. She plants a quick kiss on his cheek, and then rushes madly out again.


	11. Candlelight

She dreams…

She dreams of a huge banquet, at which even she has had enough to eat. She dreams of shadowy, yet clear, couples dancing on a ballroom floor. She dreams of a flickering light that illuminates yet hides the golden embroidery on her silver dress, that picks out the highlights in his blue-black hair.

She dreams…

She dreams of Mamoru, standing behind her, kissing her neck. He works his way up her neck, across her cheek. A warm hand is laid along her face and she tilts her head to meet his lips….

"AAARGH! LUNA! WHAT DID YOU SCRATCH ME FOR?"

Satisfied that Usagi has stopped snoring, Luna curls up in a ball and smiles as only a cat can, drifting off to sleep.

And she dreams…


	12. Caramel

Usagi yawns and stretches, her golden hair practically glowing in the early morn – make that afternoon light. She slides out of bed and wanders off to the bathroom, by some miracle avoiding tripping on her hair.

She stops, sniffs the air, and her eyes widen. She follows the delectable smell to the kitchen, but sees nothing there. She sniffs the air again and heads for the door, obviously forgetting that she is still in her pyjamas.

She flings open the door and looks around. A glimpse of a green jacket grabs her attention and she takes a step in that direction – only to trip on a box that has been left on the doorstep.

Sitting on the step, she sniffs the box and her eyes widen. Opening the box reveals a slightly squashed iced cake with the words Just For You iced on the top. She dips a finger into the icing and closes her eyes as an expression of sheer bliss crosses her face at the taste of caramel.


End file.
